JP5544431B2 - Method and apparatus for utilizing scalable data structures - Google Patents

Description

  Service providers and hardware manufacturers, such as wireless technology and cellular technology, are constantly challenged to provide value and convenience to consumers by, for example, providing powerful network services. An important differentiator in the industry is the application and network services and the ability to support and expand these services. In particular, these applications and services may include, for example, access and management of data used by social services. These services involve the management of a large amount of user profiles related to data access. Conventionally, separate mechanisms have been used for access control and data management forms. As the number of users increases, these mechanisms are unable to scale well and may introduce increasingly greater delays with respect to information retrieval.

Some exemplary embodiments

  Thus, there is a need for techniques for utilizing scalable data structures to search for profiles (eg, user profiles, entity profiles, etc.).

  According to one embodiment, the method includes receiving a query specifying an entity identifier and requested content. The method also causes at least partially a search based at least in part on the entity identifier of the profile index of the data structure, wherein each of the data structures is associated with an access control field to provide a search result. Includes specifying at least a profile field. The method further includes indicating to the entity identifier an access right to the requested content. The data structure further includes the profile field and the access control field.

  According to another embodiment, an apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code being at least partially in conjunction with at least one processor. Configured to cause the device to receive a query specifying the entity identifier and the requested content. The apparatus may also at least partially cause a search based at least in part on the entity identifier of the profile index of the data structure, provided that each of the data structures is accessed to provide a search result. You are allowed to specify at least the profile field associated with the control field. The apparatus is further caused to indicate an access right to the requested content for the entity identifier. The data structure further includes a profile field and an access control field.

  According to another embodiment, the computer readable storage medium, when executed by one or more processors, causes the device to receive a query specifying an entity identifier and the requested content, at least in part. One or more sequences of instructions are stored. The apparatus may also at least partially cause a search based at least in part on the entity identifier of the profile index of the data structure, provided that each of the data structures is accessed to provide a search result. You are allowed to specify at least the profile field associated with the control field. The apparatus is further caused to indicate an access right to the requested content for the entity identifier. The data structure further includes a profile field and an access control field.

  According to another embodiment, the apparatus comprises means for receiving a query specifying an entity identifier and the requested content. The apparatus also comprises means for causing, at least in part, a search based at least in part on the entity identifier of the profile index of the data structure. However, each of the data structures specifies at least a profile field associated with an access control field to provide a search result. The apparatus further comprises means for indicating to the entity identifier an access right to the requested content. The data structure further includes a profile field and an access control field.

  Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail below, merely by illustrating some specific embodiments and implementations, including the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. It will be readily apparent from the explanation. The invention is also capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, for purposes of illustration and not limitation.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system that can utilize a scalable data structure, according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating components of a distributed index engine according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating components of a distributed key value store according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 illustrates a usage situation of a scalable data structure according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example data structure that may be utilized in a distributed key value store, according to one embodiment. 4 is a flowchart of a process for creating and indexing profiles according to one embodiment. 4 is a flowchart of a process for utilizing a scalable data structure to retrieve a profile, according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a hardware diagram that can be used to implement embodiments of the present invention. 1 is a diagram of a chipset that can be used to implement embodiments of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram of a mobile terminal (eg, handset) that can be used to implement embodiments of the present invention.

Description of some embodiments

  Embodiments of methods, apparatus, and computer programs for utilizing scalable data structures to retrieve user profiles are disclosed. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details or with similar configurations. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring embodiments of the present invention.

  FIG. 1A is a diagram of a system that can utilize a scalable data structure, according to one embodiment. With increasing demand for network services (especially social networking services), for example, the need to properly manage access to user contact data, profile data, and user connection data is a top concern. An integral part of social network services is the continuous search and update of these data. These search and read functions inevitably result in increasingly larger databases. Note that the size, efficiency, and latency of the database can be limited based on how the data is stored.

  To address this issue, the system 100 of FIG. 1 introduces the ability to utilize scalable data structures. The data structure may store information about one or more entities, such as a person, company, organization, group, etc. In some embodiments, the data structure may include an access control field, a profile identifier, one or more fields associated with the profile data (eg, contact information such as address data, email data, phone number data, name data, other Other data associated with the profile, such as identifiers, friend data, comment data, other data about the entity, etc.), or combinations thereof. Furthermore, other data may be used. For example, an access control field can be associated with one or more entity identifiers or other identifiers that indicate that the identifier has access to a profile identifier or one or more associated fields. In some embodiments, the entity identifier is an identifier associated with a user, group, organization, etc. Although various embodiments are described in terms of user identifiers, the techniques described herein can be used with other entity identifiers, including group identifiers, organization identifiers, member identifiers, employee identifiers, and the like. It is contemplated that Further, an entity, or a user belonging to an entity, may be authenticated with system 100 by providing an entity identifier or another identifier linked to the entity identifier. In other words, the user identifier may be linked to a plurality of entity identifiers (eg, employer identifier, group identifier, etc.) associated with the user of the user identifier. Under one circumstance, the user can utilize the service using the user's user equipment (UE) 101a-101n that interacts with the social service platform 103 over the communication network 105. Each of the UEs 101a-101n may be adapted to receive information about an entity using a data structure using the social service platform 103 by using one or more applications 107.

  Further, in one embodiment, the access control field of the data structure may be indexed using some version of text indexing. In text indexing, a variable (eg, document or profile) may be indexed based on each word contained within a variable that is true. For example, the string variables “this is the first version, not the beta version” are the words “this”, “is”, “the”, “first”, “version”, “not”, and “beta”. including. It also includes some words multiple times, as well as some common words. In one situation, the access control field may be indexed if each word is a user identifier or entity identifier. Further, the data structure may be used to create an inverted index. An inverted index is an index data structure that can store a mapping from content (eg, words or numbers stored with a user profile) to the location of the content in a database file, document, document set, etc. In some circumstances, for each entity identifier, there are several lines that define different visibility into the location of data associated with the user or entity profile. In addition, other indexes may be utilized instead of or in addition to the reverse index to index the data structure. For example, a hash table data structure or a tree data structure such as a B-tree index may be used. A B-tree is a tree data structure that is similar to a binary search tree, but also has the ability to have more than one path branching from a node. A B-tree index may include the first record of a segment of the database. As such, the B-tree index can be used to determine which data structure of the database segment to search. In addition, a hash table may be utilized to map identifiers or keys (eg, names) to values (eg, numbers). The value can then be indexed using a hash to retrieve the key. Further exemplary implementation details of hash indexing are described in FIG. 1C.

  Further, the service platform 109 may interact with the social service platform 103 as prescribed. Service platform 109 may provide a social service, messaging service, insurance service, retail service, music service, or other similar service that may utilize data stored in social service platform 103. For example, some of the services may access the social service platform 103 to access profile data for one or more users, and use that information for each user's UE 101 application 107. It may be provided to one or more users of the service platform 109. Further, one or more services of service platform 109 may be an entity having profile information stored using social service platform 103.

  A service or user utilizing the social networking application 107 may create, manage, update, search, or retrieve a profile by sending a request to the social service platform 103. The social service platform 103 may utilize a social application programming interface (API) 111 to receive the request. In certain embodiments, the social API 111 is implemented on one or more platforms (eg, servers, computers, electronic machines, etc.), and includes representational state transfer (REST), SOAP, extensible messaging, and Presence Protocol (XMPP), JavaScript API, other similar APIs, or combinations thereof may be utilized. In an embodiment, the user contacts a service on the service platform 109 via XMPP, which serves as an intermediary between the UE 101 and the social service platform 103.

  By way of example, communication network 105 of system 100 includes one or more networks, such as a data network (not shown), a wireless network (not shown), a telephony network (not shown), or any combination thereof. . The data network can be any local area network (LAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), wide area network (WAN), public data network (eg, the Internet), or a commercially owned dedicated packet switched network, It may be any other suitable packet switched network such as a dedicated cable or fiber optic network. In addition, the wireless network may be a cellular network, for example, EDGE, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Universal Mobile Communication System (UMTS), etc., as well as any other suitable wireless medium, eg, microwave access international interoperability (WiMAX), long term deployment (LTE) network, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access Various technologies may be employed, including (WCDMA), wireless fidelity (WiFi), satellite, mobile ad hoc network (MANET), and the like.

  UE 101 includes a mobile handset, station, unit, device, multimedia computer, multimedia tablet, Internet node, communicator, desktop computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), or any combination thereof. , Any type of mobile terminal, fixed terminal, or portable terminal. It is also contemplated that the UE 101 can support any type of interface to the user (such as a “wearable” circuit).

  By way of example, UE 101, service platform 109, and social service platform 103 communicate with each other and with other components of communication network 105 using well-known, new or still developing protocols. Here, the protocol includes a set of rules that define how network nodes in the communication network 105 interact with each other based on information transmitted over the communication link. The protocol generates and receives various types of physical signals, selects links to transfer those signals to the form of information indicated by those signals, software that runs on any computer system Until the application identifies whether to send or receive information, it is valid at various layers of operation at each node. The concept of the various protocol layers for exchanging information over the network is described in the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model.

  Communication between network nodes is typically accomplished by exchanging individual data packets. Each packet typically includes payload information that stores (1) header information associated with a particular protocol, and (2) information that follows the header information and can be processed independently of that particular protocol. Including. In some protocols, the packet includes trailer information that (3) follows the payload and indicates the end of the payload information. The header contains information such as the source of the packet, its destination, the length of the payload, and other characteristics used by the protocol. Often, data in the payload for a particular protocol includes headers and payloads for different protocols associated with different, higher layer OSI reference models. The header for a particular protocol typically indicates the type for the next protocol stored in the payload. Higher layer protocols are said to be encapsulated in lower layer protocols. Headers included in packets traversing multiple disparate networks such as the Internet are typically physical (layer 1) headers, data link (layer 2) headers, internetworks (layer 3), as defined by the OSI reference model. ) Header, and transport (layer 4) header, and various application headers (layer 5, layer 6, and layer 7).

  In one embodiment, social networking application 107 and social service platform 103 interact according to a client-server model. According to the client-server model, the client process sends a message containing the request to the server process, which responds by providing a service. The server process may also return a message with a response to the client process. Often, client and server processes run on different computing devices, called hosts, and communicate over a network using one or more protocols for network communication. The term “server” is conventionally used to refer to a process that provides a service or a host computer on which the process operates. Similarly, the term “client” is conventionally used to refer to the process making the request or the host computer on which the process operates. As used herein, the terms “client” and “server” refer to processes, rather than host computers, unless otherwise apparent from the context. In addition, the processes performed by the server are subdivided to run as multiple processes on multiple hosts (sometimes called tiers), among other reasons including reliability, scalability, and redundancy be able to.

  Under one circumstance, the social API 111 may collect the information needed to create a profile and use the distributed key value store 113 to store the profile. Although various embodiments have been described with respect to the distributed key value store 113, the techniques described herein can be used for other databases (eg, database management where all storage devices are addressed to a common processor). It is contemplated that it may be used with distributed or non-distributed databases under the control of the system. The information required to create a profile includes authentication information (eg, username and password), user identifier, service associated with the profile, profile data for one or more profile fields, or the like One or more may be included. The social API 111 and / or distributed key value store 113 may then notify the distributed index engine 115 of the creation of the profile.

  The distributed index engine 115 may add information in the profile to an index of a data structure that can be associated with the profile. Once indexed, the profile can be advantageously retrieved while implementing access control through the data structure. Under certain circumstances, the entire profile is indexed, and in other situations only certain parts of the profile are indexed (eg text portions). However, the data structure may include location indication information for this non-indexed information. As mentioned above, an index may be associated with a profile based on parameters set in the profile (eg, areas such as associated services, contact lists, areas or addresses associated with the profile, etc.). . An index may include one or more instances of a data structure. An exemplary index of data structures that may be utilized by social service platform 103 is detailed in FIG. Further, the distributed index engine 115 may be utilized to update data fields associated with the index.

  FIG. 1B is a diagram of components of a distributed index engine 115, according to one embodiment. By way of example, the distributed index engine 115 includes one or more components for providing users of the social service platform 103 with service indexing and search. The function of these components may be performed by other components combined with one or more components or other components having similar functionality. In this embodiment, distributed index engine 115 includes one or more index engines 120a-120n, each of which may be utilized to index and / or retrieve and retrieve information based on a query. Good. Each index engine 120 includes an API 121, a memory for storing, retrieving, and using data structure indexes, an indexing module 125 for generating, retrieving, and updating indexes, and a distributed key value store 113. A storage interface 127 used to read out information.

  In certain embodiments, the distributed index engine 115 may be implemented utilizing a computing cloud. Here, the distributed index engine 115 may comprise an index engine 120 corresponding to different geographical locations. The index engine 120 may comprise an API 121 that is used to communicate with a social API 111 that may be interconnected with clients and services outside the social service platform 103, for example. Under certain circumstances, the API 121 may communicate directly with clients and services without using the social API 111, or the API 121 may comprise the social API 111.

  In certain circumstances, the storage interface 127 may interact with the distributed key value store 113 to receive requests to index the profiles created and stored in the distributed key value store 113. As further detailed in the process of FIG. 4, when index engine 120 receives a request to index a profile, indexing module 125 of index engine 120 instantiates one or more data structures for the profile, and In the memory 123, a data structure instance may be added to the associated index. As mentioned above, the data structure may comprise an access control field and a data field. In some embodiments, when a data structure is added to the index, the instantiated data structure is sent to other index engines to update the index replicas. If there is more than one index and a particular index engine 120a overloads or fails, the load may be distributed to other index engines (eg, index engine 120n).

  Further, the storage interface 127 may communicate with the distributed key value store 113 using one or more interfaces. For example, the storage interface 127 may receive data relating to the new profile and use another interface to retrieve the stored information in order to generate an index using a particular profile. For example, to retrieve stored information, the storage interface 127 may use a simple interface that utilizes the get, put, delete, and scan commands. Alternatively or additionally, the storage interface 127 may utilize another API to communicate with the distributed key value store 113, which may convert the communication into a simple interface.

  FIG. 1C is a diagram of components of a distributed key value store 113, according to one embodiment. By way of example, the key value store 113 includes one or more components for providing a means for storing data to be indexed, stored, read, and searched. For this reason, the new profile may be stored in the distributed key value store 113. The functions of these components may be combined in one or more components, or may be performed by other components having similar functionality. Other forms of databases may be utilized instead of or in addition to the distributed key value store 113. In this embodiment, the distributed key value store 113 includes a server 143 and a client library 141 that can be used to communicate with the databases 145a-145n.

  The storage interface 127 of the index engines 120a-120n and the social API 111 may communicate with the distributed key value store 113 using the client library 141. In some embodiments, the index engines 120 a-120 n and the social API 111 may be considered clients that receive database services from the distributed key value store 113. The client library 141 may include an interface that can determine which server 143 to communicate with in order to read content from the database 145. In some embodiments, the database 145 is stored utilizing keys and value mechanisms that allow storage using the keys. A portion of each database (eg, portions A-I) can be linked to a key. In one embodiment, the key is hashed to determine which part the key is linked to. The key may be hashed using, for example, a ring method. Using a ring, each key and portion may be hashed to a primary location (eg, based on a key having an identifier hashed to a number k), as well as one or more backup locations. The backup location may be the location associated with the next server or host associated with the hash. The client library 141 determines which server 143 uses the key hash to read and write information. The client library 141 and the server 143 may each include a lookup table that includes which part belongs to which server 143.

  In certain embodiments, portions (eg, portions A 147a-147c) may be stored on multiple databases 145 using multiple servers. In some implementations, the portions may be replicated on n (eg, replication = 3) servers 143 and databases 145 for redundancy, failover, and to reduce latency. Further, the portion may be simultaneously written and read by the client library 141. When reading from database 145, the client library may determine whether there are any consistency issues (eg, portion 147a does not match portion 147b). Further, in certain embodiments, the exemplary storage scheme is such that when a write or read is performed, at least a certain number of portions (eg, required write = 2, required read = 2, etc.) are: It may be necessary to write or read successfully. This allows for redundancy and quorum consistency. If the database 145a fails or is otherwise disabled, the portion 147a associated with the database 145a may be later updated by the server 143 with the replicated portions 147b, 147c with the content it should contain. Good.

  Social API 111 may require a new profile to be stored in distributed key value store 113. The new profile may be assigned a key based on the account identifier associated with the new profile. The key may then be hashed to determine the part (eg, part A147) for storing the new profile. The profile is then stored in the primary database as well as the backup database. A profile may be considered a value associated with a key. For later retrieval of the profile, the hash of the key may be used to request the profile from the server associated with that part. The key may then be used to search for the part for the profile. Once the profile is stored in the distributed key value store 113, the client library 141 may notify the index engine 120 that the profile is added to the index.

  Once the index is created and the profile is stored in the distributed key value store 113, the social API 111 can receive a query from the UE 101 or service, but this query is sent to the index engine 120 and the user identifier and requested. It is for searching and reading information based on the contents. The index engine 120 can retrieve the index associated with the query and retrieve the index for the user identifier in the access control field. The search may be a text-based search. Further, the requested content may specify one or more profile identifiers of the profile that the query is interested in, or the type of content that the query is interested in (eg, basic profile information). The distributed index engine 115 returns the requested content to the social API 111. The process for reading content is further detailed in the processes of FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating usage of a scalable data structure 200 according to one embodiment. The data structure may include an access control field 201, data fields such as a profile identifier (profile ID) 203, a basic profile 205, extended profiles 207a to 207n, and contact information 209. As previously mentioned, the access control field may be associated with one or more user identifiers (eg, user identifiers 1-5, universal user identifier *, etc.). In some embodiments, the data structure allows an entity identifier (eg, user identifier) in the access control field 201 to be associated with the profile ID 203 only once. In some situations, the profile ID 203 is a globally unique identifier that can be used to associate content with a user or entity profile. In addition, a user identifier may be an identifier that associates a query with a particular user that may or may not have a profile. The access control field is based on which user or entity identifier is considered a contact or connection, such as a friend, family, colleague, acquaintance, one-way follower, employee, member, etc., for the user associated with the profile. Also good. A user may enter these connections via social networking application 107 and social API 111.

  Multiple levels of access can be provided using the access control field 201. For example, profile ID1 may allow different content access to different user identifiers based on access control rights. In this embodiment, the user identifiers 2, 3, and 4 are permitted to access the basic profile 205, the extended profiles 207a and 207n of the profile ID 1, and the contact information 209. This access may be provided by the status of the group (eg, each is considered a friend). However, the user identifier 5 may only have access to the basic profile 205 and the first extended profile 207 because the user identifier 5 is considered an acquaintance. All users, including guest users, may have access to the basic profile 205 with profile ID1. A user or entity associated with the profile ID 203 may determine these access controls while creating the profile or by updating the profile. In the case of profile ID1, the index engine 120 generates three data structures 211, 213, and 215 (shown as columns) when adding profile ID1 to the index. Each of the data structures 211, 213, 215 may have data in a field marked “DATA”. In some embodiments, this data is searchable. In addition, profile ID 2 may have two data structures 217, 219 associated with it, and profile ID 3 may have only one data structure 221 associated with it, each of which is associated with certain information. It has an access control field that allows access. Under one circumstance, the data structure 221 for profile ID 3 does not contain any information that can be provided to the guest user, but only includes access to the basic profile data to the user identifier 4. In addition, each data structure (represented by a column) may be indexed using an access control 201 field, so that which entity (eg, via an entity identifier or user identifier) can be identified with specific data It may be determined whether to have access to the structure column.

  Under one situation, the social API 111 receives a request from a user or service requesting a query to be performed on the index. Social API 111 may authenticate with a user or service to determine a user identifier to be associated with the query. In some embodiments, the service or user logs in as a guest and receives guest status. In other embodiments, the username and password are mapped to a user identifier. The user's authentication may also be passed through to another service. The user or service may also specify the content that the user or service wants to read in the query.

  In one embodiment, the user may initiate a search query for all information that can be read by the user. The social API 111 determines that the user identifier for the query is the user identifier 4. The query is passed to the distributed index engine 115 to initiate a search on the index of the data structure 200. The distributed index engine 115 has the basic identifier 205, the first extended profile 207a, the second extended profile 207n, and the contact information 209, and the basic profile 205 of the profile ID2, the first extension, with the user identifier 4 of the profile ID1 Determine to have access to profile 207a and contact information 209 and basic profile 205 of profile ID3. This data can then be returned as a value to the social API 111 for transmission to the user. In another situation, the user identifier for the query is user identifier 5. Distributed index engine 115 returns information stored in data structures 213 and 219. The reason that the distributed index engine 115 returns this data is that the user identifier has, at best, access to the data structure 213 of profile ID1 and at least guest level access to profile ID2 (access granted to all requesters). This may be because the user does not have access to the profile ID 3. In some embodiments, the user or service that forms the query has a higher level of access (eg, friend access, acquaintance access, colleague access, etc.) that the user has than the access that the query can simply have. It may be required to search only the profile.

  In certain situations, the requested content may have one or more search terms, such as keywords. In such a situation, the profile ID 203, the basic profile 205, the extended profile 207, and the contact information 209 can be searched quickly and easily. The distributed index engine 115 may search the content fields 203, 205, 207, 209 for the search terms. Alternatively or additionally, the data associated with the content fields 203, 205, 207, 209 may comprise a pointer (eg, key) to the distributed key value store 113 or other non-searchable content. In some embodiments, only the profile information that the query has access to is retrieved. This allows for low latency in reading profile information. Furthermore, this method allows a larger number of searches and a huge amount of index content to be included in the search.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example data structure that may be utilized in a distributed key value store, according to one embodiment. Further, portions of data structure 300 can be utilized in an index. Data structure 300 may specify a key 301 that can be associated with a profile ID or account ID. This key 301 can be used to read a profile from the distributed key value store 113. In addition, the key 301 is associated with a value 303 that includes a basic profile 305, a first extended profile 307, and other content fields. In addition, the value may comprise information that may not be included in the index. For example, the third extended profile 309 may comprise drawing data 311 that cannot be searched and therefore does not need to be stored in an index. As such, the third extended profile 309 data in the index may comprise a flag or other data that notifies the distributed index engine 115 that the content is available in the distributed key value store 113. Good.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a process for creating and indexing profiles according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, the social API 111 and the distributed index engine 115 perform the process 400 and are implemented, for example, in a chipset that includes a processor and memory as shown in FIG. As such, social API 111 and / or distributed index engine 115 may provide a means for performing process 400 and other process steps described herein. In step 401, the social API 111 receives a request to create a profile from a client (eg, service, user, entity, etc.). The social API 111 may then request that the user provide authentication of the user to associate the profile with the account by requesting authentication credentials. Next, the user may send a proof, the social API 111 may receive the proof, and the social API 111 may demonstrate authentication of the user creator of the profile (step 403).

  Then, in step 405, the social API may create a profile that may comprise an access control field, a user identifier, and other data fields. Social API 111 may query the user for additional information regarding what information to store in the profile. The user may enter data fields and other customizable data into the profile. Multiple iterations of the query may be necessary to complete the profile. Then, in step 407, the social API 111 may store the profile in the distributed key value store 113, as detailed in the description of FIGS. 1B and 1C.

  Once the profile is stored, the social API 111 may cause the distributed index engine 115 to at least partially index the profile in the index structure (step 409). The distributed index engine 115 may add the profile to the index. A profile can be associated with an index based on one or more user inputs, based on profile associations (eg, location, associated services, contact connections, etc.), or based on other data. One or more fields associated with the profile are then indexed based on access control characteristics that can be set by the user. The access control field 201 may be used to distinguish what information a user can retrieve and / or retrieve. A new data structure may be instantiated for each distinct group. In certain embodiments, the user is placed in at most one of the instantiated data structures for a given profile (eg, based on profile ID 203). In addition, the instantiated data structure (eg, data structure 215) may be accessible to the general public (eg, guests, all users, etc.).

  Further, in step 411, the profile and index structure can be updated. Instead of creating a user profile as detailed in steps 401 to 407, the user can authenticate and update the user profile. When the profile is updated, the distributed index engine 115 may be initiated to update the index based on the changed profile. Changes to profiles add or remove access to an entity, add or delete content, modify content available to users in an access control field group via an access control list Adding or deleting instantiated data structures, combining instantiated data structures, combining these, or similar processing.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process according to one embodiment for utilizing a scalable data structure to retrieve a profile. In one embodiment, the distributed index engine 115 is implemented, for example, by a chipset that includes a processor and memory as shown in FIG. Here, the distributed index engine 115 may be a means for implementing the steps associated with the process 500. In step 501, the distributed index engine 115 receives a query specifying an entity identifier and requested content. The user may initiate a keyword search by entering the requested content and include the user identifier in the search query. As described above, the query may be received from the UE 101 or service via the social API 111. The entity identifier (eg, user identifier) may specify the user making the request and may be obtained via the social API 111 through an authentication process. The authentication process may include associating a username and password, token, or other authentication mechanism with the user identifier. The requested content may include one or more field names (eg, access control 201, profile ID 203, basic profile 205, extended profiles 207a-207n, contact information 209, etc.) or may be present in the field 1 It may include more than one search term.

  Then, in step 503, the distributed index engine 115 causes a search based at least in part on the user identifier of the profile index of the data structure. This data structure each specifies at least a profile field associated with the access control field 201 to provide search results. Here, the distributed index engine 115 may provide a means for implementing step 503. The data structure may further comprise a profile field (eg, profile ID 203, basic profile 205, extended profiles 207a-207n, contact information 209, etc.) and an access control field 201. The search may begin by indicating access rights to the requested content for the user identifier by comparing the user identifier to the access control field 201 of the index (step 505). Here, the distributed index engine 115 provides a means for indicating access rights to the requested content for the user identifier. Further, the requested content may comprise a search term such as a keyword. A text search for a search term (or more than one term) may be performed on any profile field of the data structure that the user identifier has access to. This text search may be implemented via developing and storing a reverse index or another index (eg, hash or B-tree) to search for the user based on the access control field. . The reverse index access control field may comprise a “word” associated with one or more user identifiers, which may comprise a guest or “*” identifier. The reverse index can quickly find the data string that the user identifier has access to. In addition, this can result in search results where the user also has and is part of a text search. Thus, text search is used to implement access control as a side effect of normal search.

  Further, at step 507, the requested content can be retrieved based on the access rights. As mentioned earlier, the distributed index engine 115 can provide a means for implementing step 507. In some embodiments, the requested content may indicate that information that is not indexed in the profile index is being requested. The data structure may provide data (eg, a flag or pointer) that indicates that there is content associated with it, but that content is stored in the complete profile. Here, the content is distributed to the distributed key value store by generating a request for the profile using the profile ID 203 of the requested content as a key identifier and causing at least part of the transmission of the request to the distributed key value store 113. 113 is read. The profile may then be received and transferred. In other embodiments, the requested content may be one or more of the profile fields, which may be read directly from the index. In certain situations, the requested content may be a data structure 300 from an index or from a profile. Then, as in step 509, the requested content is transmitted, at least in part, to the requestor via the social API 111.

  The above techniques and embodiments detail the use of an advantageously scalable data structure. The data structure may additionally provide a low latency search utilizing the indexing techniques described above. This can be implemented via storing an access control field in the data structure index along with a text searchable profile field. In addition, the index is expanded to include larger data content by quickly retrieving content from a distributed data store (eg, store 113 in FIG. 1) simply using a unique profile ID associated with the data structure. May be. Furthermore, because data structures may be used in a distributed architecture, the availability of use of information stored using the data structures is highly available. This functionality can be implemented because a greater number of parts containing data are spread across several physical machines.

  The processes described herein for utilizing scalable data structures include software, hardware (eg, general purpose processors, digital signal processing (DSP) chips, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable Gate array (FPGA), etc.), firmware, or a combination thereof, may be advantageously implemented. Such exemplary hardware for performing the described functions is detailed below.

  FIG. 6 illustrates a computer system 600 in which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. Although computer system 600 is depicted with respect to particular devices or equipment, other devices or equipment (eg, network elements, servers, etc.) in FIG. 6 depend on the illustrated hardware and components of system 600. Can be deployed. Computer system 600 is programmed (eg, by computer program code or instructions) to utilize a scalable data structure, as described herein, and other internal and external components of computer system 600. A communication mechanism such as a bus 610 is included to pass information to and from the element. Information (also called data) is typically a voltage, but in other embodiments, phenomena such as magnetic, electromagnetic, atmospheric, chemical, biological, molecular, atomic, elementary, and quantum interactions It is expressed as a physical representation of measurable phenomena. For example, N and S magnetic fields and zero and non-zero voltages represent two states (0, 1) in binary digits (bits). Other phenomena may indicate higher radix digits. The superposition of a plurality of simultaneous quantum states before measurement represents a qubit (qubit). A sequence of one or more digits constitutes digital data that is used to represent a number or code for a character. In some embodiments, information called analog data is represented by a quasicontinuum of measurable values within a particular range. The computer system 600, or a portion thereof, constitutes a means for performing one or more steps that utilize a scalable data structure.

  Bus 610 includes one or more parallel conductors of information so that information can be quickly transferred between devices coupled to bus 610. One or more processors 602 for processing information are coupled to bus 610.

  The processor 602 performs a series of operations on the information in accordance with the instructions of the computer program code related to utilizing the scalable data structure. Computer program code is a set of instructions or statements that provide instructions for the operation of a processor and / or computer system to perform a specified function. For example, the code may be written in a computer programming language that is compiled into the processor's native instruction set. The code may also be written directly using a native instruction set (eg, machine language). A set of operations includes taking information from bus 610 and placing information on bus 610. A set of operations also typically compares two or more information units, shifts the position of information units, eg, addition or multiplication, or OR, exclusive OR (XOR), and Combining two or more information units by a logical operation such as AND. Each operation in the set of operations that can be performed by the processor is represented to the processor by information called instructions, such as one or more digits of an operation code. A sequence of operations to be performed by processor 602, such as a sequence of operation codes, constitutes processor instructions, also called computer system instructions, or simply computer instructions. The processors may be implemented alone or in combination, inter alia as mechanical, electrical, magnetic, optical, chemical, or quantum components.

  Computer system 600 also includes memory 604 coupled to bus 610. Memory 604, such as random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, stores information, including processor instructions for utilizing scalable data structures. Dynamic memory allows information stored therein to be changed by computer system 600. RAM allows information units stored in locations called memory addresses to be stored and read independently of information at neighboring addresses. Memory 604 is also used by processor 602 to store temporary values during execution of processor instructions. Computer system 600 also includes a read only memory (ROM) 606 or other static storage device connected to bus 610 for storing static information, including instructions, that is not modified by computer system 600. Some memories consist of volatile storage that loses information stored therein when power is lost. Nonvolatile (such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or flash card for storing information, including instructions that persist even when the computer system 600 is turned off or otherwise loses power Persistent) storage device 608 is also connected to bus 610.

  Information, including instructions for utilizing scalable data structures, is provided from the external input device 612 to the bus 610 and is used by the processor. The external input device 612 can be like a keyboard with alphanumeric keys and sensors operated by the user. The sensor detects conditions in its vicinity and converts those detections into a physical representation that is compatible with the measurable phenomenon used in computer system 600 to represent information. Other external devices connected to the bus 610 that are primarily used to interact with humans include a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) for presenting text or images, or a plasma screen or Mouse or trackball or cursor direction to control the position of a small cursor image presented on display device 614 and display 614, such as a printer, and issue commands associated with graphic elements presented on display 614 A pointing device 616, such as a key or motion sensor, may be mentioned. In some embodiments, for example, in an embodiment where the computer system 600 performs all functions automatically without human input, of the external input device 612, the display device 614, and the pointing device 616 One or more of are omitted.

  In the illustrated embodiment, special purpose hardware such as application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 620 is coupled to bus 610. Special purpose hardware is configured to perform operations not performed by processor 602 sufficiently quickly for special purpose. Examples of application specific ICs include graphics accelerator cards for generating images for display 614, encryption boards for encrypting and decrypting messages sent over the network, voice recognition, and more in hardware Examples include interfaces to special external devices, such as robotic arms and medical scanning equipment, that perform some complex motion sequences that are implemented efficiently.

  Computer system 600 also includes one or more instances of communication interface 670 coupled to bus 610. Communication interface 670 provides a one-way or two-way communication connection to a variety of external devices operating with their own processors, such as printers, scanners, and external disks. This connection is typically established with the network link 680. The network link 680 is connected to a local network 678 to which various external devices having their own processors are connected. For example, the communication interface 670 may be a parallel or serial port on a personal computer, or a universal serial bus (USB) port. In some embodiments, communication interface 670 is an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card or digital subscriber line (DSL) card, or a telephone modem that provides an information communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. In some embodiments, the communication interface 670 is a cable modem that converts signals on the bus 610 into signals for communication connections on coaxial cables or optical signals for communication connections on fiber optic cables. is there. As another example, communication interface 670 may be a local area network (LAN) card for providing a data communication connection to a compatible LAN, such as Ethernet. A wireless link may also be implemented. With respect to a wireless link, the communication interface 670 transmits or receives, or both transmits and receives, electrical, acoustic, or electromagnetic signals, including infrared and optical signals, that carry information streams such as digital data. For example, in a wireless handheld device, such as a mobile phone such as a cellular phone, the communication interface 670 includes a radio band electromagnetic transmitter and receiver, referred to as a radio transceiver. In some embodiments, the communication interface 670 enables the UE 101 to connect to the communication network 105.

  The term “computer-readable medium” is used herein to refer to any medium that participates in providing information to processor 602, including instructions for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks such as storage device 608. An example of the volatile medium is a dynamic memory 604. Transmission media include, for example, coaxial cables, copper wires, fiber optic cables, and carrier waves that travel through space without wires or cables, such as acoustic and electromagnetic waves, including radio, optical, and infrared waves. . The signal includes artificial transients in amplitude, frequency, phase, polarity, or other physical characteristics that are transmitted through the transmission medium. Common forms of computer readable media include, for example, floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, any other magnetic medium, CD-ROM, CDRW, DVD, any other optical medium, punch card, paper tape , Optical mark sheets, holes or any other physical medium with a pattern of optically recognizable markings, RAM, PROM, EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, carrier wave, or computer Any other medium that can be read is included. The term computer readable storage medium is used herein to refer to any computer readable medium except transmission media.

  The logic encoded in one or more tangible media includes one or both of computer readable storage media and processor instructions on special purpose hardware such as ASIC 620.

  Network link 678 typically provides information communication to other devices that use or process information using one or more networks and using a transmission medium. For example, the network link 678 may provide a connection through the local network 680 to the host computer 682 or to a device 684 operated by an Internet service provider (ISP). The ISP device 684 also provides data communication services through the public, global packet switched communication network of the network now commonly referred to as the Internet 690.

  A computer, referred to as server host 692, connected to the Internet hosts processes that provide services in response to information received over the Internet. For example, server host 692 hosts a process that provides information representing video data for presentation on display 614. The components of system 600 can be deployed in various configurations within other computer systems, such as host 682 and server 692.

  At least some embodiments of the invention relate to the use of computer system 600 to implement some or all of the techniques described herein. According to one embodiment of the invention, the techniques are performed by computer system 600 in response to processor 602 executing one or more sequences of one or more processor instructions stored in memory 604. The Such instructions, also referred to as computer instructions, software, and program code, may be loaded into memory 604 from another computer readable medium, such as storage device 608 or network link 678. Execution of the instruction sequence stored in memory 604 causes processor 602 to perform one or more of the method steps described herein. In an alternative embodiment, hardware such as ASIC 620 may be used instead of or in combination with software to implement the present invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software, unless explicitly stated otherwise herein.

  Signals transmitted over communication link 670 and over network link 678 and other networks carry information to and from computer system 600. Computer system 600 can send and receive information, including program code, through network 680, 690, network link 678, and communication interface 670, among others. In an embodiment using the Internet 690, the server host 692 is a program for a particular application required by a message sent from the computer 600 over the Internet 690, ISP device 684, local network 680, and communication interface 670. Transmit the code. The received code may be executed by processor 602 as it is received, or in memory 604, or storage device 608 or other non-volatile storage, or both, for later execution. It may be stored. Thus, computer system 600 may obtain application program code in the form of signals on a carrier wave.

  Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of instructions or data or both to processor 602 for execution. For example, instructions and data may initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer such as host 682. The remote computer loads the instructions and data into its dynamic memory and uses a modem to send the instructions and data over the telephone line. A modem local to computer system 600 receives the instructions and data on the telephone line and uses an infrared transmitter to convert the instructions and data to signals on an infrared carrier that functions as network link 678. The infrared detector functioning as the communication interface 670 receives instructions and data carried in the infrared signal and places information representing the instructions and data on the bus 610. Bus 610 conveys information to memory 602 where processor 604 reads the instruction and executes the instruction using a portion of the data transmitted with the instruction. The instructions and data received by memory 604 may be stored on storage device 602 either before or after execution by processor 608 in some embodiments.

  FIG. 7 illustrates a chipset 700 in which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. Chipset 700 is described with respect to FIG. 6, which is programmed to utilize a scalable data structure as described herein, for example, incorporated into one or more physical packages (eg, chips). , A processor, and a memory component. By way of example, a physical package may include one or more on a structural assembly (eg, a baseboard) to provide one or more features such as physical strength, size preservation, and / or electrical interaction limitations Material, component, and / or wire configuration. In certain embodiments, the chipset can be implemented in a single chip. Chipset 700, or a portion thereof, constitutes a means for performing one or more steps utilizing a scalable data structure.

  In one embodiment, chipset 700 includes a communication mechanism, such as bus 700, for passing information between components of chipset 701. The processor 703 has a connection to the bus 705 to execute instructions and process information stored in the memory 701, for example. The processor 703 may comprise one or more processing cores configured such that each core performs independently. Multi-core processors allow multiple processing within a single physical package. Examples of multi-core processors include two, four, eight or more numbers of processing cores. Alternatively or additionally, the processor 703 may include one or more micros configured in cascade via a bus 701 to allow independent execution, pipelining, and multithreading of instructions. A processor may be provided. The processor 703 also has one or more specialized signal processing functions and tasks, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) 707, or one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) 709. It may be accompanied by components. The DSP 707 is typically configured to process real-world signals (eg, sounds) in real time, independent of the processor 703. Similarly, the ASIC 709 can be configured to perform specialized functions that are not easily performed by a general purpose processor. Other specialized components to assist in performing the functions of the invention described herein include one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) (not shown), One or more controllers (not shown), or one or more other special purpose computer chips may be mentioned.

  The processor 703 and attached components have a connection to the memory 705 via the bus 701. Memory 705, when executed, is a dynamic memory (eg, for storing executable instructions that perform the steps of the invention described herein to utilize scalable data structures). RAM, magnetic disk, writable optical disk, etc.) and static memory (eg, ROM, CD-ROM, etc.). Memory 705 also stores data associated with or generated by the execution of the steps of the present invention.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram of exemplary components of a mobile terminal (eg, a handset) for communication that can operate the system of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment. In some embodiments, the mobile terminal 800, or a portion thereof, constitutes a means for performing one or more steps of requesting content from a platform that utilizes a scalable data structure. In general, wireless receivers are often defined in terms of front-end and back-end characteristics. The receiver front end includes all of the radio frequency (RF) circuitry, while the back end includes all of the baseband processing circuitry. As used in this application, the term “circuit” refers to (1) hardware-only implementations (such as implementations in analog and / or digital circuits only), and (2) circuits and software (and / or firmware). Combining (including digital signal processor (s), software, and memory (s) that cooperate to cause a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions, if applicable to a particular context , Or a combination of processor (s). This definition of “circuit” applies to all uses of this term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, and when applicable to a particular context, the term “circuit” is also simply a processor (or multiple processors) and its (or their) accompanying software / Or cover firmware implementation. The term “circuit” also covers a baseband integrated circuit or application processor integrated circuit in a mobile telephone, or similar integrated circuits in a cellular network device or other network device, if applicable in a particular context.

  Internal components associated with the phone include a main control unit (MCU) 803, a digital signal processor (DSP) 805, and a receiver / transmitter unit that includes a microphone gain control unit and a speaker gain control unit. The main display unit 807 provides display to the user in support of various applications and mobile terminal functions that perform or support the step of requesting content from a platform that utilizes scalable data structures. Display 807 includes display circuitry configured to display at least a portion of a user interface of a mobile terminal (eg, mobile phone). In addition, the display 807 and the display circuit are configured to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile terminal. The audio function circuit 809 includes a microphone 811 and a microphone amplifier that amplifies an audio signal output from the microphone 811. The amplified audio signal output from the microphone 811 is sent to an encoder / decoder (CODEC) 813.

  The radio section 815 amplifies power and converts a frequency in order to communicate with a base station included in the mobile communication system via the antenna 817. A power amplifier (PA) 819 and transmitter / modulation circuit are operatively responsive to the MCU 803 with output from a duplexer 821 or a PA 819 coupled to a circulator or antenna switch, as is known in the art. The PA 819 is also connected to the battery interface and power control unit 820.

  In use, the user of mobile terminal 801 speaks into microphone 811 and, along with any detected background noise, the user's voice is converted to an analog voltage. The analog voltage is then converted to a digital signal through an analog / digital converter (ADC) 823. The control unit 803 routes the digital signal to the DSP 805 for processing therein, such as voice coding, channel coding, encryption, and interleaving. In one embodiment, the processed voice signal is EDGE, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), etc. As well as any other suitable wireless medium, such as microwave access (WiMAX), long term deployment (LTE) networks, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), wireless fidelity (WiFi), satellite , And similar cellular transmission protocols, encoded by units not shown separately.

  The encoded signal is then sent to an equalizer 825 for compensation of various frequency dependent impairments that occur during transmission through the air, such as phase and amplitude distortion. After equalizing the bit stream, the modulator 827 combines the signal with the RF signal generated at the RF interface 829. The modulator 827 generates a sine wave through frequency or phase modulation. To prepare the signal for transmission, upconverter 831 combines the sine wave output from modulator 827 with another sine wave generated by combiner 833 to obtain the desired transmission frequency. The signal is then transmitted through PA 819 to amplify the signal to the appropriate power level. In a practical system, the PA 819 acts as a variable gain amplifier whose gain is controlled by the DSP 805 based on information received from the network base station. The signal is then filtered in duplexer 821 and, in some embodiments, transmitted to antenna combiner 835 to match impedance and provide maximum power transfer. Finally, the signal is transmitted to the local base station via antenna 817. Automatic gain control (AGC) may be provided to control the final gain of the receiver. From there, the signal may be forwarded to a remote telephone, such as another cellular telephone, another mobile telephone, or a landline telephone connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or other telephony network.

  An audio signal transmitted to the mobile terminal 801 is received via the antenna 817 and immediately amplified by a low noise amplifier (LNA) 837. While the demodulator 839 removes RF and leaves only the digital bit stream, the down converter 841 lowers the carrier frequency. The signal then passes through equalizer 825 and is processed by DSP 805. A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 843 converts the signal and the resulting output is transmitted to the user through a speaker 845, all of which are implemented as a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown). It is performed under the control of a main control unit (MCU) 803.

  The MCU 803 receives various signals including input signals from the keyboard 847. In combination with other user input components (eg, microphone 811), keyboard 847 and / or MCU 803 include user interface circuitry for managing user input. The MCU 803 causes the user interface software to execute to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile terminal 801 to request content from a platform that utilizes a scalable data structure. The MCU 803 also communicates display commands and switching commands to the display 807 and to the audio output switching controller, respectively. Further, the MCU 803 can exchange information with the DSP 805 and access the SIM card 849 and the memory 851 incorporated by the embodiment. In addition, the MCU 803 performs various control functions required for the terminal. The DSP 805 may perform any of a variety of conventional digital processing functions on audio signals, depending on the implementation. In addition, the DSP 805 determines the background noise level of the local environment from the signal detected by the microphone 811 and sets the gain of the microphone 811 to a level selected to compensate for the natural tendency of the user of the mobile terminal 801. Set.

  The CODEC 813 includes an ADC 823 and a DAC 843. The memory 851 stores various data including incoming call tone data, and can store other data including, for example, music data received via the global Internet. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, registers, or any other form of writable storage medium known in the art. Memory device 851 may be a single memory, CD, DVD, ROM, RAM, EEPROM, optical storage device, or any other non-volatile storage medium capable of storing digital data, It is not limited to.

  An optionally incorporated SIM card 849 carries important information such as, for example, cellular telephone numbers, carrier service, subscription details, and security information. The SIM card 849 mainly functions to identify the mobile terminal 801 on the wireless network. Card 849 also stores memory for storing personal telephone number registries, text messages, and user specific mobile terminal settings.

  Although the invention has been described in conjunction with several embodiments and implementations, the invention is not so limited and various obvious modifications and similar arrangements are within the scope of the appended claims. Included in that range. The characteristics of the invention are expressed in certain combinations between the claims, but these characteristics can be configured in any combination and order.

Claims (16)

A method executed by a device by executing a computer program on a processor of the device, comprising:
Receiving and / or processing a query specifying the entity identifier and the requested content;
Causing a search based at least in part on the entity identifier of a profile index of a data structure, at least partially specifying a profile field associated with an access control field to provide a search result To do;
Indicating an access right to the requested content for the entity identifier;
The data structure further includes the profile field and the access control field, wherein the access control field is utilized to specify the access rights by comparison with the entity identifier, and the requested content is Including a keyword, and the search includes a text search of the profile field based on the keyword,
The method further includes transmitting the search results at least in part.
Method.   The method of claim 1, comprising reading the requested content based on the access rights, wherein the search provides only the search results indicated to have access.   The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the profile index is searched based on a comparison of the entity identifier and the access control field.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the access control field includes a plurality of entity identifiers.   The profile field is a basic profile field, the data structure further includes an extended profile field, and the access control field is used to specify access rights to the basic profile field and the extended profile field. Item 5. The method according to Item 4. The profile field is further associated with a profile identifier corresponding to one or more of the data structures, the profile index is searched based on a comparison of the entity identifier and the access control field, and the profile identifier is the data is associated with only in one said entity identifier of the structure a method according to any one of claims 1 to 5. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the computer program code is executed by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to perform processing. And the processing is at least the following:
Receiving and / or processing a query specifying the entity identifier and the requested content;
Causing a search based at least in part on the entity identifier of a profile index of a data structure, at least partially specifying a profile field associated with an access control field to provide a search result To do;
Indicating an access right to the requested content for the entity identifier;
The data structure further includes the profile field and the access control field, wherein the access control field is utilized to specify the access rights by comparison with the entity identifier, and the requested content is Including a keyword, and the search includes a text search of the profile field based on the keyword,
The process further includes at least partially performing transmission of the search results,
apparatus. The processing is further at least partially
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , comprising reading the requested content based on the access right, wherein the search provides only the search results indicated to have access. 9. The apparatus according to claim 7 or 8 , wherein the profile index is searched based on a comparison of the entity identifier and the access control field. Wherein the access control field comprises a plurality of entity identifiers, apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9. The profile field is a basic profile field, the data structure further includes an extended profile field, and the access control field is used to specify access rights to the basic profile field and the extended profile field. Item 10. The apparatus according to Item 10 . The profile field is further associated with a profile identifier corresponding to one or more of the data structures, the profile index is searched based on a comparison of the entity identifier and the access control field, and the profile identifier is 12. Apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 11 , associated only with the entity identifier in one of the data structures. The device is a mobile phone,
User interface circuitry and user interface software configured to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile phone through use of a display and configured to respond to user input;
A display and display circuit configured to display at least a portion of a user interface of the mobile phone, wherein the display and display circuit are configured to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile phone; A display and a display circuit;
The apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 12 , further comprising: A computer readable storage of one or more sequences of one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of any one of claims 1-6. Storage medium. Apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . The device is a mobile phone;
User interface circuitry and user interface software configured to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile phone through use of a display and configured to respond to user input;
A display and display circuit configured to display at least a portion of a user interface of the mobile phone, wherein the display and display circuit are configured to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile phone; A display and a display circuit;
The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:

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